Pre-Construction Process
Consultation → Feasibility → Pre-Construction → Contract
Our structured process is designed to give you absolute certainty — an approved design, accurate pricing, and a contract you can trust — before construction begins. Every stage builds on the last, so nothing is left to chance.
Face-to-Face Consultation
Once we've reviewed your responses to our Client Application Form, we'll arrange a face-to-face consultation. This meeting is an opportunity for us to get to know each other, gain a clearer understanding of your goals, and walk you through our building process. It also allows us to set the right expectations from the start, ensuring we begin with a solid foundation for your project.
Feasibility
You finish this stage with an approved design and a clear understanding of the likely build cost. We can't move forward to Pre-Construction until the Budget Estimate is approved.
Early Contractor Involvement Agreement
The ECI Agreement marks the official start of our working partnership. It confirms the fixed fee, scope, and deliverables for the Feasibility Stage, allowing us to begin providing construction advice, cost guidance, and design input early in the process. This agreement sets expectations clearly so everyone understands what's included and how decisions will be made.
Why it matters: No design or costing work begins until the ECI Agreement is signed. This keeps the process structured and avoids confusion or wasted effort later.
Designer Engagement
If you already have a designer or architect, we'll contact them directly to introduce our process and make sure we're working in alignment. If you don't yet have a designer, we'll recommend one from our trusted network — including our in-house team at Align Architecture. We work alongside the designer to keep design decisions practical and on budget from the start.
Why it matters: We have a trusted network of designers we work with regularly. Our processes are streamlined with them, which helps everything run smoothly and avoids delays or miscommunication.
Sketch Design
This is the first time you'll see a design for your home. A sketch design is usually represented by a basic floor plan showing the overall layout, room sizes, and flow of spaces. It's kept simple on purpose so we can focus on the key parts of the design and how it fits with your budget.
Why it matters: Keeping the design simple at this stage allows for easy changes and honest budget discussions. It helps avoid unnecessary design work and ensures we only develop ideas that are practical and affordable to build.
Feasibility Estimate
Once the sketch design is developed, we prepare a Feasibility Estimate — a ballpark figure or price-range indicator for your project. It's an early guide based on the current drawings, site information, and market conditions. The aim is to highlight where the design sits financially and identify any major cost pressures before refining the plans.
Why it matters: Getting a ballpark early allows us to adjust layout, size, or materials before investing in detailed drawings. It keeps the design practical and on track with your budget from the start.
Final Concept Plans
Once we've reviewed the Feasibility Estimate and made any adjustments, we develop the Final Concept Plans. These build on the sketch design with elevations, measurements, and layouts that show the scale and arrangement of your home. They also reflect site and land conditions — including contours and slopes — to help shape a realistic and buildable design.
Why it matters: The added detail allows us to prepare the next stage of cost planning with greater accuracy while still keeping flexibility in the design.
Budget Estimate
The Budget Estimate is prepared once your Final Concept Plans are complete. It's a more detailed and refined costing, developed by assessing each part of the build and applying quantities realistic for this stage of design. We use our experience and understanding of likely engineering requirements, consultant reports, and construction methods to build realistic allowances for each trade and material.
Why it matters: This step confirms that your design and budget are aligned before spending money on reports, consultants, or approvals. It gives us confidence to move into pre-construction knowing the design is both achievable and financially sound.
Pre-Construction
Your concept plans are developed into detailed documentation, consultants are engaged, selections are confirmed, and every element is priced from a 3D construction model — so you sign a contract you can trust.
Pre-Construction Agreement
Once the Budget Estimate is approved, the project moves into Pre-Construction. This stage is covered by a separate agreement that outlines the services, deliverables, and responsibilities. During Pre-Construction, your concept plans are developed into detailed drawings suitable for Development Application (DA) submission. We begin coordinating with your designer and the required consultants to prepare reports and documentation needed for approvals.
Why it matters: This agreement marks the transition from design feasibility to detailed planning. It ensures all design, cost, and approval work is completed in the right order before engaging consultants or committing to construction pricing.
Consultant Engagement & Selections
This stage focuses on preparing DA documentation, coordinating with consultants (engineers, energy assessors, waste management, and other specialists), and confirming your material selections. While reports are being prepared, we work with you to finalise finishes, fixtures, and key materials — because our ability to price accurately depends on knowing exactly what will be supplied and installed.
Why it matters: Selections and reports directly affect pricing accuracy. If either is incomplete, we're forced to use allowances and assumptions, which often lead to variations later. Completing both now ensures the next stage of pricing is accurate and transparent.
3D Construction Model
Using the confirmed design, selections, and consultant information, we build your home virtually — piece by piece — before going to site. This allows us to detect potential constructability issues, identify clashes, and resolve them early, long before they become costly problems on site. From the model, we produce a highly accurate bill of quantities that forms the basis for detailed pricing.
Why it matters: By building your home virtually first, we remove uncertainty and reduce risk. The 3D model ensures our pricing is based on precise quantities and construction details, not assumptions — leading to greater accuracy, fewer surprises, and a smoother build.
Tendering & Pricing
With the 3D model and all supporting documentation complete, we prepare detailed trade packages and send them to our trusted network of subcontractors and suppliers for pricing. We review all submissions carefully, comparing costs, checking quantities, and clarifying any queries before compiling the results into a complete build estimate.
Why it matters: Accurate tendering depends on clear, complete information. By pricing from a detailed 3D model and confirmed selections, we minimise allowances, reduce the chance of variations, and ensure every trade quote reflects the true scope of work.
Contract Estimate
Once all trade pricing has been received and reviewed, we prepare the Contract Estimate. This document brings together every element of the pre-construction process — consultant reports, confirmed selections, and the 3D construction model — to produce a complete and transparent breakdown of the build cost. Before finalising, we meet with you to go through the estimate in detail.
Why it matters: The Contract Estimate is the final checkpoint before signing your building contract. It confirms that all design, selections, and technical information have been accurately costed, leaving no assumptions or hidden figures.
Contract Education & Signing
With the Contract Estimate finalised and approved, we prepare your building contract using our secure electronic contract platform. Before signing, we run through the contract in detail to help you understand the terms, conditions, and legal obligations it contains — payment structure, timelines, responsibilities, and what each clause means in practice. Once you're satisfied and confident with the terms, the contract is issued for electronic signing. After signing, the project moves into the construction phase.
Why it matters: The contract formalises everything we've developed through pre-construction and sets the legal and procedural framework for the build. Taking the time to understand your and our obligations now ensures a smooth transition into construction and prevents confusion later.
Project Communication & Management
We use a dedicated project management platform to keep every stage of your build organised and on track. Every message, document, update, and decision stays in one place — making collaboration seamless and transparent throughout pre-construction and construction.
Communication
Every message and decision stays in one place — no scattered emails or lost conversations.
Document Sharing
Plans, reports, selections, and contracts are all accessible from a single organised hub.
Project Updates
Real-time progress updates so you always know where your project stands.